Mud Day
by Aristocles
Summary: A Topsy-turvy day turns out to be more than what Topsy could ever have expected.


Mud Day.

The bright circle rose high in the sky at dawn. Creatures great and small would rise up and greet the new day, happy to have slept through the night before, and to live to see another beautiful morning. Everyone was happy this morning… except for…

"Topsy! Wake up! You don't want to be late!" Tria urged the large male, asleep in the soft grass.

"Ooohh… who? Wuzza? Wha happen? Cera on fire, valley run away?" He replied.

"No, silly" Tria said with a laugh. "It's a very special holiday, don't you remember?"

"It isn't a hatchday, is it?" he replied, getting up.

"Nope. Guess again!" Tria told him, already a ball of sunshine before the sun had fully risen.

Normally she wasn't such a morning person… "Special day… oh… what have I forgotten now? Grass day? Oh no… that's crazy talk…"

"You got me, Tria. Tell me what day this is."

"It's mud day!" she replied.

Topps couldn't quite believe his ears… he must have heard that wrong… she couldn't have said…

"Mud day… MUD day?"

"Yeah, it's really fun!"

"What, is it that hot mud that you like to sit around in for hours at a time?"

"No, not the mud on THIS day!" She exclaimed, happy.

Ever since they had become mates, Topps was subjected to all of the weird, strange, odd, and superstitious traditions that Tria had imported from her old herd…

"Is anyone else going to celebrate mud day besides you?"

"Yes! I've got Ms. Twoped and her two sisters to come along! That's twice as many people as last year!"

"Well, Tria… what does this "mud day"… no… what is it all about?" he asked her

"What could possibly drive sane, thinking dinosaurs to whatever craziness she's about to describe next?" he added mentally.

"I'm glad you asked, Topsy! You see, the earth and the water are needed for living things to grow. The earth is special because our food comes from it, and we all need water to live, so a long time ago, a blind three horn approached my herd from the east and proclaimed that the forces of life were found in water and earth, but DOUBLY found in mud, because mud is dirt mixed with water. That makes it special!"

Topps hadn't mated Tria for her intelligence, that was for sure…

"Is Cera coming along with you?" He asked Tria, who promptly responded.

"Cera left before you were up. When I explained the whole tale about how mud day came to be, she ran away in the direction of Littlefoot's nest. I only finished half the story before she bolted after telling me she'd be back later."

"My oldest daughter has the right idea… and speaking of which" he thought to himself…

"Where's our little girl?" Topsy asked, desperate to change the subject from the pointless holiday.

"Oh. Tricia's with . We needed a mud child for the ceremony, and I volunteered Tricia."

Topp's jaw fell open upon hearing this…

"You… did what?!"

"Calm down, Topsy, it isn't anything dangerous. You know I'd never place Tricia in harm's way. We just need a symbolic sacrifice of a child, whom we dip in the mud in place of a real sacrfi-"

"Where is she now?! Why didn't you tell me about this?!" Topps roared, angry

"Sh-she… it was supposed to be a surprise. If you must know, Ms. Twoped has her in her nest. I dropped Tricia off there last night"

"And where is this nest?" he asked.

"On the other side of the valley, to the east."

That was a greater part of a day's walk for most dinosaurs. Topps bolted in that direction.

"Hang on Tricia! Daddy' coming!" he shouted, as he bolted through the grass and trees.

"Hmm. He must not like mud" Tria thought to herself.

By the time Topps had reached the great river, he knew it was the halfway point. "Excellent! Whatever travesties they wish to inflict upon my daughter are- … wait a minute? What are so many dinosaurs just standing in the muddy river? What's old Longneck doing there with them?!" He thought.

Littlefoot's grandfather had a bored expression on his aged face, and an even wearier and more bored tone of voice;

" Inhabitants of the great valley. We gathered here today to celebrate the life-giving force of mud. All hail mud. We have with us some of the greatest adherents of mud in the entire world. Isn't that something? Right here in our humble little valley. We should feel honored. I know I do." That last line was dripping with sarcasm.

Old Longneck wasn't usually like this, Topps thought. Someone close to him must have put him up to it… maybe another adherent of this stupid religion. "Hey longneck! I'm here to save my youngest daughter from these crazy people! Can you let me pass! You're blocking my way!"

"I am sorry, but I am unable to speak with anyone not part of the-- Dear?! Is this really necessary?! Mr. Threehorn wants to pass to get his daughter back…"

"No can do! The ceremony must be completed just right, or we'll suffer indigestion for the next eight months!" Littlefoot's grandmother told the crowd. Evidently, she was part of the cult too. "Well, there goes another bastion of sanity. I wonder how much longer it will be before cuckoo McTreestars comes over here to claim his own, and take us all to lala land."

"Is that anywhere near mud valley?" some random voice yelled.

"No, it isn't! I don't know who you are, or what in the world you are talking about… but rest assured. I _really_ don't care!" Topps replied.

"There's only one way through this crowd… the old-fashioned way…" He thought, as he pawed the ground, preparing to charge…

(Five minutes later)

A bruised and beaten Topps stumbled through the crowd, weary, but successful. He sure managed to force his way through the crowd… the blood on tips of his horns was a testament to that. Fortunately, he didn't hurt anyone… much. Continuing on his frantic route, the dinosaurs back at the muddy river waited for him to be out of earshot.

"Is he gone?" Littlefoot's grandfather asked.

"Yes, dear, we can drop the silly ceremony now. Go back to your homes, everyone!"

The crowd was pleased to hear it… they dispersed in record time, too.

By this point, Topps was running out of breath as he approached the nest of Ms. Twoped.

"Alright! Come on outta there! I'm not letting you infect Tricia with your mud cult, or

your stupid ceremonies, or any of your two-footed ways! I'm gonna count to three, and if you don't come out of there, I cannot guarantee that you will…"

"TOPSY!"

"AHHHGGH!!" He shouted. He caught off-guard by his mate… his daughters, and several other dinosaurs coming in behind them.

"Alright. What is this all about? Tria? Is there anything you'd like to tell me?"

"Yes, Topsy, of course. Today really IS a special day. Do you know why?"

"Has it been three years since we became mates?"

"No…that was last year."

Somewhat embarrassed, he continued on. " Was this the Day of the Great Giving?"

"No… that's not for over 100 days…" Tria replied.

"Then… what is it? What?" He asked.

"Well, Topsy… I wasn't being totally honest with you when you asked me if it was a hatchday. It isn't my hatchday, Topsy, and it isn't Cera's or Tricia, or anyone else's in this crowd… except for you."

"Me?! Do you mean to tell me that I forgot my own hatchday?!"

"You sure did! Luckily, I took the liberty of preparing a celebration for you." Tria added "And you sure fell for out little 'mud day' bit…

"Why'd you do it?" He asked, caught totally off-guard.

"We needed to distract you so we could set up the party" Tria told her mate. "Don't worry, all the craziness is over now. We're gonna have a good time, with good food, good friends, and good family."

"That's good to hear" Topsy replied, happy again at last. "You know, there were times when I thought-"

"And then we can relax in the mud." Tria added with a wink.

"AHHHGGHH!" Topsy screamed, now afraid of the mere mention of the stuff, tripped over a log and fell into a mud hole. This caused riotous laughter.

"I meant the WARM mud, my mate. The kind we can relax in!" the laughter grew even louder… "oh dear…"

Fortunately for him, Topsy got out of the mud and shook himself clean. This got mud all over his mate. Had she gotten mud on Topsy, he would have been mad, but after a day like this, all Tria could do was to laugh at the situation. It really was funny. The simpler things in life were meant to be enjoyed. For Tria, this meant some time to spent with her mate on his hatchday, or the feeling of mud between her toes. For Topsy, it was a chance to be alone with his mate, and to finally get some peace and quiet for once. Everyone was always yelling and pushing and shoving and screaming and shouting… how was a three horn supposed to think in all this mess? Yeesh!

The party went of without a hitch at this point. There was indeed good food, good friends, and good family. There were no foolish cultic practices devoted to the mystical life energy force of who-knows-what, and no crowds at the riverside. Topsy was indeed a stubborn, obstinate, and sometimes arrogant leader, but he was still an appreciate member of the valley.

Later that night, the mated threehorns looked up in the sky, and saw a meteor shower.

"Ooh… look at that, Topsy! They're so pretty, and there's so MANY of them"

"Yeah… they're something alright… so much nicer than… pebbles we find down here on Earth. How _did_ they get up there?"

"I wish I knew Topsy… I wish I knew…"

"Well, you know something Tria… I don't know… and I don't _want_ to know. Some things in life are best kept a secret… best kept simple… people say I'm cranky… that I'm old-fashioned, that I'm slow to change my ways in the face of all these new things happening… and you know that, as much as I'd like to think otherwise, I _am_ a grouchy threehorn whose best days have long since passed."

"Don't speak like that, Topsy." Tria urged him. "We all love you for who you are…"

"Yeah, I know you do… but me? I'm just an old fossil… and proud of it. Old ways are the best ways, as I always say. Sometimes, I wonder… if a group of people ever finds my bones many years in the future… what will they think of me? What would they examine? Would they know I ate leaves and lived to be an adult? Probably. Would they know that I had a loving mate, two wonderful daughters, and a life that I wouldn't exchange with any other? They wouldn't know that. I'm just glad to have my good food, good friends, and above all, my good family!"

"That's all I ever wanted to hear you say, Topsy." Tria replied, after which, there were no more words; they just went back to their nest to find Cera and Tricia still sleeping soundly in exactly the same position they had left them in.

The next morning…

The bright circle rose high in the sky at dawn. Creatures great and small would rise up and greet the new day, happy to have slept through the night before, and to live to see another beautiful morning. Everyone was happy this morning… except for…

"Mr. Longneck! We need your help! Spike fell down a hole, Ducky's been attacked by stingers, Chomper lost another tooth, and a I think the great wall just fell down!" Cera exclaimed.

This time, it was his 25 year anniversary with his mate…


End file.
